Hell Teacher Nube

Nueno Mesuke, better known as Nube, is a school teacher who does more than just teach. You see, Nube's left hand is a huge, nasty-looking demon's claw. He uses it to get rid of malicious demons, ghosts, spirits and other supernatural beings that are giving his students a hard time. Nube's left hand was normal, until one fateful day when he exorcised an extremely powerful demon from a child. He was outmatched and lost his left hand. The only way to fight it was to let it enter his body. As a result, Nube has a demonic left hand where his own hand used to be. To educate and protect — that is what Jigoku Sensei Nube does.

Hell Teacher Nube (1996-1997) is a Japanese animated supernatural comedy series broadcast on TV Asahi and produced by Toei Animation. Its protagonist, the homeroom teacher Nueno Mesuke, known as Nube, has a demonic claw in place of his left hand, a power he took on when he lost his own hand to an extremely strong demon. Voice actor Ryotaro Okiayu plays Nube, with Toshiko Fujita as Hiroshi Tateno, Michiko Neya as Ritsuko, and Chieko Honda as Izuna Hazuki among the principal cast. The engine of the show is simple and repeatable: each episode, Nube uses his cursed hand to hunt the ghosts, spirits and youkai that torment his elementary school students, balancing exorcism with lessons and everyday classroom life. Its 49 episodes form a single season of self-contained cases, a monster-of-the-week format with a steady thread of romcom and school-life comedy. The tone is playful and eerie at once, with spooky urban legends undercut by slapstick and light romance. Set in a contemporary Japanese school, it is a shonen-style supernatural series with a strong school life hook. Fans of Yu Yu Hakusho and Jujutsu Kaisen will find resonance in its blend of demon fighting and humor.

Viewers rate the series well on average, with its supernatural school-based action and humor holding up in the audience ratings, though the overall audience sample is small.

• Ghost Huntsupernatural school setting with youkai and ghost-of-the-week structure, humor mixed with horror
• Gakkou Gurashischool-based supernatural monster-of-the-week format with a teacher protagonist and occult horror tones
• Yu Yu Hakushomonster-of-the-week supernatural action with a reluctant guardian protagonist and a demonic power inside his body
• Jujutsu Kaisenshonen-style supernatural action with a protagonist who fights spirits and demons using a cursed arm

Release Date

1996-04-13

Episode runtime

23 min

Rating

6.7 / 10 (67)

What is Hell Teacher Nube about?

A schoolteacher with a demonic left hand battles ghosts, demons and youkai that threaten his students.

What is Hell Teacher Nube like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Hell Teacher Nube as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.

Is Hell Teacher Nube violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Hell Teacher Nube as moderate.

What did critics think of Hell Teacher Nube?

Viewers rate the series well on average, with its supernatural school-based action and humor holding up in the audience ratings, though the overall audience sample is small.

Which shows are like Hell Teacher Nube?

Shows with a similar feel include Ghost Hunt, Gakkou Gurashi, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Jujutsu Kaisen.

How long is Hell Teacher Nube?

Hell Teacher Nube: 1 season, 49 episodes.

Is Hell Teacher Nube still running?

No, Hell Teacher Nube has ended.